Improved mode of attaching car-wheels to axles



Ni'rE GEORGE SEWELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED MODE OF ATTACHING CAR-WHEELS TO AXLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,328, dated J anuary30, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

' this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view takenvertically through the center of the wheel and in line with the axle.Fig. 2 is across-sectional view taken in the line 00 a: of Fig. 1.

It has been found desirable in railway practice that, with the exceptionof the drivingaxle of the locomotive, each car-axle should have one ofits wheels loose thereon, in order to facilitate the turning of shortcurves; but the efficiency of such an arrangement has always beenimpaired by the fact that, as heretofore constructed, it has beendifficult to properly lubricate the journal. The oil has not beenprevented from escaping therefrom, thus causing much needless expensefor lubricating material; and, furthermore, dust and grit penetratingbetween the hub and axle have caused, by their abrading action, therapid deterioration of the wearing-surfaces of the same.

This invention is designed to obviate these objections; and it consistsin a novel arrangement of parts by which a car-wheel, loose upon itsaxle, has its journal automatically supplied with a proper quantity ofoil, which is prevented from escaping from the same and beingwasted,]and by which dust or dirt is effectually excluded from thejournal, my invention thus materially reducing the expense of using thisclass of carwheels, and enabling them to be used with perfect success.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

The wheel 0 is loose upon the axle D, and is prevented from slidinglongitudinally thereon by means of the collar h, welded or otherwiseformed upon the axle and fitting into a suitable recess in the inner endof the hole A.

On the opposite side of this collar and placed upon the axle is anannular plate, 70, which is secured to the hub by bolts m.

The collar It, being inclosed between the plate is and the inner end ofthe hub, prevents the wheel from sliding, as aforesaid, and, beingentirely surrounded by the plate It and the end of the hub, iseffectually protected against the intrusion of particles of dust orgrit.

The hub A, on the inner side of the wheel, is provided with an annularoil-chamber, B, which communicates with the axle D by means of one ormore holes or passages, 8. At one side of these holes or passages s is apartition, 0, placed in a line parallel with the axle. The object ofthis partition is to carry the oil in the chamber B around as the wheel0 revolves, so that when the oil is brought over the axle a sufficientquantity thereof will flow down through the holes 8, and thussupplyit'with oil at each revolution of the wheel.

The oilis poured into the chamber B through a hole, a ,which is closedby a screw, to.

In the outer end of the hub is a stuffing-box,

in which is placed the packing-ring fl, composed of india-rubber orother suitable subtance, and compressed into close contact with the axleby the annular nut '12. The inner end also of the hub is packed in likemanner, the packing-ring 0 being situated in a stuffingbox in the plate70 and compressed by the nut 1'.

The packin g-rin gs will prevent the lubricating material from escapingfrom the journal, and also exclude the admission of dust and dirt, thuspreventing their undue wear or abrasion.

It will be seen that the supply of oil in the chamber B will be carriedaround with the rotation of the wheel 0 by the partition 0, and thatwhenever the holes 8 are brought above the axle the oil will flowdownward through them to the said axle, being thus fed thereto at eachrevolution of the wheel, the oil being prevented from leaving the axleand all extraneous substances excluded from the same by thepacking-rings i and 0, as hereinbefore explained, while by theemployment of the collar h and annular plate 70 a convento each otherand to the chambered hub ient and effectual means of holding thelooscsubstantially as set forth, for the purpose wheel upon the axle isobtained. specified.

What I claim as my invention, and desire GEO. SEWELL. to secure byLetters Patent, isl/Vitnesses:

The two stuffing-boxes, the collar 71,, and J. W. COOMBS, annular plate7c, all arranged with reference A. LE GLERO.

